Dutch cooperative ZON fruit & vegetables held its Buyers and Growers Day on Thursday, March 9. "A day with a broad gathering of customers, our growers, and ZON's people where we encourage contact between clients and growers to maintain buyer focus and exchange ideas," director John Willems says. With customers and growers from all over the Netherlands, it was a pleasant afternoon, with several growers presenting their products on the market square. There were even Spanish suppliers.
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"We want our auction supply to match demand, so we're investing much energy into broadening the offer and growing in the winter. That benefits our members, too, because the happier the client, the happier our members. Thus, we're gradually becoming a digital day trading platform." John mentioned ZON's partnership with Kompany for auctioned cucumbers and autumn tomatoes.
That is a good example of how collaboration in the platform. Jaguar juicing oranges have been available for auction for a month now. "Buyers recognize that bundling the Dutch day trading supply is to everyone's advantage. This way, we're starting small and building it up together," explains John.
The day's speaker was from a different sector, albeit one that faces the same challenges. André van Kruijssen is the director of the Plantion cooperative, where 500,000 flowers and plants are auctioned every day. Like ZON, this cooperative uses the KOSMOS auction sales system. Plantion has a turnover of €106 million.
It is, thus, small compared to the giant FloraHolland, which has more than €5 billion in revenues. Still, Plantion certainly has a right to exist, André argues. "We face the challenge and want to innovate. If you don't do anything for five or ten years, you'll soon be out of business. That's why connecting with your customers and growers is vital," he says.
Plantion's André van Kruijssen
Plantion presents itself as a One Stop Shop that auctions all kinds of flowers and plants. And although "the best cameras provide the perfect pictures, many buyers still prefer traveling to our premises where flowers are auctioned five days a week at 6:00 a.m." All lots are traded in the grower's name, and they can include a price. That means there can even be overnight transactions.
Day brokerage is also a growing branch at this flower auction. André, therefore, does not see auction sales disappearing. "That was already being said when I entered the business in 1991, but the clock has stood the test of time. Nonetheless, you must ensure added value via an optimal mix of physical and digital auctioning."
When asked by an audience member, Van Kruijssen indicated he is not concerned that buyers will go elsewhere. "We have very loyal customers who won't readily walk away. We'd have to do terribly for them to do that," he states. The flower cooperative director advised his vegetable counterpart not to set too many rules. "Let the business people do business and connect buyers and growers. Be a center for knowledge, networking, and inspiration." That was music to ZON growers' ears, though there was some criticism of Plantion's net result.
Marcel de Graaf and Leroy Philipsen (Combilo) let Bas van Leeuwen (Westburg) tell them all about these snack tomatoes.
After the presentation, there was ample opportunity to put that knowledge, networking, and inspiration into practice. And there was plenty of networking while enjoying a snack and a drink. The attendees did not leave empty-handed either, returning home with a well-filled goodie bag.
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For more information:
ZON
102 Venrayseweg
5928 RH, Venlo, NL
Tel: +31 (0) 773 239 999
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.royalzon.com